PARETO ON IDEALIZATION AND THE METHOD OF ANALYSIS-SYNTHESIS

Philosophers of science and philosophers of economics have recently '' rediscovered'' the problem of idealization. In this paper a taxonomy o f different hind of idealizing procedures is applied to Pareto's views on the status a economics among the social sciences. The paper aims t o show that the evolution of Pareto's career as a social scientist can be seen in a new perspective as a long and in the end unresolved stru ggle with the problem of analysis-synthesis.